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The artist and innovator behind the long-running animated series is making a name for himself as a university benefactor.

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has given $500,000 toward the creation of a new chair at the University of California, Los Angeles, that bears his moniker.

The Matt Groening Chair in Animation at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television will "allow visiting master artists to teach classes" and "bring working professionals with wide-ranging expertise" to work with students, the school said in an announcement.

Groening, who graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, is committed, in a financial sense, to UCLA: he makes a yearly donation of $50,000 to help students who produce short -- and socially conscious -- animated films.

On Tuesday, Groening (subject of THR’s recent cover story) will receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His long-running, ground-breaking Fox series celebrates its 500th episode on Sunday.